[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] It has been revealed that several departments of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), which is experiencing the largest deficit in history, have been using corporate cards recklessly.
On the 6th, Kim Sung-won, a member of the National Assembly's Industry, Trade, Energy, Small and Medium Business Committee from the People Power Party, checked meal expenses over 500,000 KRW paid by corporate cards at KEPCO's Seoul, Busan, and Ulsan headquarters from 2020 to 2021, and found numerous inappropriate expenditures.
In particular, the Management Support Department of the Planning and Management Office at KEPCO Seoul Headquarters paid 4,090,910 KRW by corporate card after a retirement ceremony lunch at a famous franchise Korean beef specialty restaurant at the end of March last year. Not only was the lunch amount unreasonably large, but it also violated quarantine guidelines as social distancing level 2 and a ban on private gatherings of five or more people were in effect at the time.
At the end of November 2020, the Distribution Operation Department of the Power Business Division at Seoul Headquarters processed 705,455 KRW on a corporate card for a sports and cultural event at a high-end sushi omakase Japanese restaurant located in Dae-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul.
In early November of the same year, the Customer Support Department of the Mapo-Yongsan Branch at Seoul Headquarters used 1,124,536 KRW on a corporate card for a customer support office sports and cultural event at Lotte Hotel, and the next day, the Finance and Materials Department of the Planning and Management Office spent 1,770,496 KRW on meal expenses at Shilla Hotel by corporate card. Over the past two years, KEPCO's Seoul, Busan, and Ulsan headquarters have repeatedly used corporate cards to pay for meals at five-star hotels under the name of sports and cultural events.
Currently, KEPCO uses a total of 2,636 corporate cards, excluding those for business trips and Hi-Pass. When paying over 500,000 KRW per transaction with a corporate card, excluding purchases of goods, the place of use, purpose, and personal details must be recorded in supporting documents to verify the facts. Also, to reduce excessive entertainment expenses, splitting payments at the same location is prohibited. For meal expenses over 500,000 KRW per transaction, approval from the department head or branch manager is required to confirm the appropriateness of the use.
Assemblyman Kim stated, "While I agree on the necessity of raising electricity rates to establish a low-energy consumption and high-efficiency structure, if KEPCO, which recorded the largest deficit in history, operates so recklessly, no citizen will be able to accept the justification for the rate increase."
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